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Lou’s Cafe: A User’s Guide
Generously Stacked Sandwiches | Toasted to Order | Housemade Sauces and Spreads
Sample Menu
Sandwich: LLB Special—roast beef, turkey, ham, swiss, provolone, and Lou’s Special Sauce on dutch crunch
Side: new england clam chowder
Beverage: iced caffe mocha
About the Owners: After 19 years in a delicatessen catering department, Ramana Brodeth knew her way around a sandwich. In 2010, she and her sons, TJ and Mark, opened Lou’s Cafe. One of them is always behind the counter, crafting inventive, satisfying sandwiches and topping them with Lou’s Special Sauce, a housemade garlic-and-herb aioli.
From the Press
“This family run cafe in San Francisco's Richmond District is exactly what a good sandwich shop should be - incredibly welcoming, with fresh, filling sandwiches at honest prices.” — SFGate
“The fixings are primo, to be sure, but its Lou’s sauces and breads that separate them from the San Francisco sandwich pack.” — The Daily Meal
“We're partial to the LLB Special on Dutch Crunch, but we think the breakfast sandwich is the most rave-worthy item here.” — SF Weekly
Inside Tips
Because seating is sparse, most customers take their orders to go.
Don’t be daunted by a long line—it moves pretty quickly.
To minimize your wait, download GoPago to order from your phone. When you get to Lou’s, skip the line and go straight to the GoPago pickup spot.
Vocab Lesson
Dutch crunch: also called “tiger bread,” this roll features a mottled exterior that hides a soft, chewy center. Bakers use sesame oil to lend it a distinct aroma, and paint the top with rice paste before baking it to create a cracked appearance and salty-sweet flavor.
While You’re in the Neighborhood
Before: Take a stroll through Clement Nursery (1921 Clement Street), the oldest in SF, housed in lovingly restored farm buildings.
After: Make a picnic of it and let the kids run around the renovated Argonne Playground (18th Avenue & Geary Boulveard); three picnic tables sit alongside the tennis courts.

Pisco Latin Lounge: A User's Guide
Peruvian Small Plates | Classic Pisco Punch | Extensive Wine List | Gluten-Free Menu
Sample Menu
Ceviche a la peruana with hamachi and sweet-potato chips
Quinoa risotto balls with romesco salsa
Parrillada platter with churrasco, lamb lollipops, and pork belly
Pisco Punch with pineapple gomme and macerated pineapple
The Name: Pisco is a Peruvian grape brandy, popularized in San Francisco for its use in sweet punches.
The Chef: James Schenk’s mother is originally from Peru, and he draws on that culture to create menus at Pisco Latin Lounge and Destino, the larger restaurant next door.
Awards and Accolades
The nation’s first dedicated pisco bar, according to Examiner.com
Praised by Zagat for its “strong, innovative cocktails”
Named one of the Top 10 Lounge Restaurants in the city by Gayot
Vocab Lesson
Churrascaria: Brazilian-style barbecuing where the meat is skewered and cooked over an open flame or on a grill; the meat itself is called churrasco.
Gomme syrup: a simple-syrup-like mixture of sugar, water, and gum arabic, commonly used as a sweetener in mixed drinks.
While You're in the Neighborhood
Before: Browse mid-century furnishings, collectibles, and apparel at Stuff (150 Valencia Street).
After: Belt out tunes at The Mint karaoke lounge (1942 Market Street).

The Ramp Restaurant: A User’s Guide
California-Style Beach Cuisine | Waterside Dining | Weekend Salsa Dancing | Rotating Happy Hour Menu | Established 1950
Sample Meals
Lunch: mussels and clams with chorizo, spinach, white wine, and shallots
Evening appetizer: tri-tip skewers with mushrooms, bell peppers, and au jus
Brunch: ramp corned-beef hash with pasilla peppers and Yukon Gold potatoes
Summer barbecue: classic cheeseburger with barbecue beans
A Bit of History: The Ramp wasn’t even serving food when it started in 1950—well, not the human kind anyway. That’s because it was just a bait shop. Eventually, it acquired its first food-related piece of equipment, a hot-dog machine, to service the boatyard next door. Since then, it’s expanded the menu considerably and, due to a large bayside patio, has become a staple of waterside dining in Mission Bay.
Where to Sit: Grab a plastic patio chair at one of the old wooden tables equipped with a shade umbrella.
When to Go: Head in Saturday for brunch followed by salsa dancing with live musicians (May—October). Otherwise, head in for a rotating lineup of specially priced dishes, such as oysters on the half shell, and drinks during happy hour every Monday—Friday from 4:30pm until 7pm.
While You’re Waiting
Enjoy views of the Central Basin and Potrero Point.
Count the fishing boats on the water or the music notes coming from the band’s horns.
While You’re in the Neighborhood
Before: Test your sea legs with a cruise under the Bay Bridge and past Alcatraz with Ruby Sailing (855 Terry A Francois Boulevard)
After: Dance into the night with salsa and tango at Cafe Cocomo (650 Indiana Street)

Planted between mighty palms in Golden Gate Park is the oldest
wood-and-glass conservatory in North America. The gleaming white Victorian structure has survived several boiler explosions, closure during World War II, and more than two decades of renovations. In 1998, it was deemed an endangered building—but it was quickly adopted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and completely rehabilitated by 2003. This century-old structure is home to the Conservatory of Flowers, a National Historic Landmark that connects visitors year-round with the exotic flora of the world's tropical regions.
The Conservatory houses four main galleries. In the aquatic plants gallery, cascading water gurgles into pools beneath a glass-and-metal sculpture of a six-foot Victoria amazonica water lily. The mist-filled highland gallery mimics the high-altitude forests of tropical mountaintops with clusters of orchids and ferns. Showcasing another side of the tropics, the rainy lowland gallery replicates lush jungles, housing a 100-year-old imperial philodendron and several cycads, which date to the days when most dinosaurs were just tiny salamanders. The potted plants gallery incorporates man-made works such as copper planters from India, ceramic pots from Burkina Faso, and an urn from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Around the fragrant stillness of these halls, the Conservatory hosts special events such as gardening workshops.
Groupon Celebrates Pride Month
Over the last 50 years, the gay-rights movement in America has overcome tremendous obstacles to become a powerful voice for inclusion and diversity. Even as it has grown, the movement—like Groupon—is local at heart, and we applaud the commitment to real change that improves everyday lives.
At Groupon, we are happy to add our voices to those celebrating PRIDE, their achievements as a social movement and a continued march to equality for the LGBT community. Plus, we love a chance to dig that rainbow wig out of storage.
This month—and throughout the year—we salute our merchants and customers who support PRIDE and all efforts that promote dignity, respect, and equal opportunity. We're highlighting these merchants' deals with a special badge to show Groupon's pride in working with people who share our values.

The Old Clam House: A User’s Guide
Since 1861 | One of SF’s Oldest | Classic Seafood Dishes | Popular Cioppino
Sample Menu
Appetizer: crispy Dungeness crab cakes
Entree: clambake cioppino with four kinds of shellfish, calamari, and fish
Dessert: chocolate-truffle mousse cake
Specialty cocktail: Fish Bait—peach whiskey, orange juice, and peach nectar
History: Legend has it that when the eatery originally opened, as The Oakdale Bar and Clam House, the structure stood completely on the water—until the earthquake in 1906 filled the Bay. Since then, the restaurant’s gone through many changes, yet still stands on the same ground, making it SF’s oldest restaurant still operating in its original location. When the current owners took over, they renovated the interior, yet kept the menu’s most-loved dishes, such as the cioppino and the cup of hot clam broth that greets each diner upon arrival.
While You’re Waiting
Have a seat at the bar, which stands in the restaurant’s original structure, and see if you can conjure up the ghost of someone who voted for Abe Lincoln.
Check out the old-timey photos; many are of the restaurant in its earliest days.
Inside Tip: Try the clam chowder; it’s made with a recipe from The Oakdale Bar and Clam, dating back to the late 1800s.
While You’re in the Neighborhood
Before: Find some new place settings at the Heritage House Tableware show room (2190 Palou Avenue), where more than 1,900 patterns are on display.
After: See what’s in season at the Bayshore Farmers Market (300 Bayshore Boulevard).

Quick: talk about river otters. Here are a few facts to get you started: they're members of the weasel family, they can swim at speeds reaching 7 miles per hour, and a group of them is known, tellingly, as a romp. The keepers at Aquarium of the Bay have spent months studying these sorts of facts and figures, studiously preparing for the arrival of their brand-new residents. In Otters: Watershed Ambassadors, these river kings and queens get some well-earned attention, with exhibits tracing everything from their daily habits to their conservation status.
The otters aren't alone, of course. The 50,000 square foot facility houses three main exhibit areas devoted entirely to marine life native to San Francisco Bay. These include Under the Bay, where Moon Jellies float amidst ambient lighting inside a 725-gallon cylinder tank. They share the exhibit with two tunnel tanks, which provide an undersea view of giant Pacific octopuses, spiny dogfish, swirling schools of anchovies, and the sevengill shark, the largest shark native to the bay. Visitors eager to put their other senses to work can head over to the aquarium's touch pools, where their fingertips can graze juvenile bat rays, leopard sharks, and sea stars.
Daily programs enrich visits with interactive presentations in the Bay Lab?the aquarium's land animal area?including feeding shows. And though not included in this Groupon and membership, behind the scenes tours escort guests through all of the aquarium's highlights. Over in the Bay Theater, 3D films and award-winning documentaries examine subjects such as shark species and marine conservation, while magician Timothy Noonan's 75-minute interactive show blends family-friendly comedy with illusions such as pulling a whale out of a hat.

Groupon Guide

San Francisco Guide

San Francisco residents in need of diversion should grab an SF guide catering to people who actually live in the city. Sometimes, residents just aren't aware of the hidden gems and deals that are available in their own backyards, but a quick point in the right direction can make all the difference.

For people with foodie sensibilities who find it hard to make the time to actually cook, one of the best things to do in San Francisco is to head down to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and load up on ingredients. There's nothing like grabbing a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning before heading over to the Ferry Building and joining in the gastronomical frenzy. Get there early to mingle with other food-obsessed souls and top chefs as they check out tasty treats such as organic Portobello mushrooms and seasonal vegetables. Exotic chocolates and artisanal cheeses tempt on all sides.

Another key spot in a practical guide to San Francisco must be Hayes Valley. This is the go-to hangout spot for the artsy crowd, and anyone looking to grab a quick latte or shop in one of the area's funky boutiques. Octavia Boulevard is the area's main strip and has recently undergone a major renovation, making it even more of an attraction. Some people think that the area has lost some of its edge now that it's become more popular, but that hasn't stopped the diehards from coming down to check out their favorite shops.

If a beach is what is needed, locals can avoid the crowds at Fisherman's Wharf by heading over to Breezy Baker Beach. This beach has stunning ocean and bridge views. Anyone looking for even more privacy would do well to check out the beautiful and secluded China Beach.